Chapter Nine
The aches and pains running through Avery’s body had nothing to do with the fact that she’d run as a wolf the night before. She blushed at the thought of what she, Parker, and Brandon had done, and knew she wanted to do it again.
She’d always been choosy in her bedmates, keeping her heart and her body guarded against those who could hurt her. Yet the two men who had made her come so many times the night before she’d lost count were different. Before she’d gone to bed with them, she thought she might be on the verge of losing her mind, but now, she knew that wasn’t exactly true.
Brandon and Parker were her potential mates, and once they made the mating mark, they would be mates in truth.
The idea excited and overwhelmed her all at the same time.
The fact that she could still scent them on her skin was a whole other matter entirely.
If someone had asked her if she’d one day see herself writhing between two sweaty, delicious men and then below them both as they took each other, she’d have called them crazy. For a woman who saw the future, she surely hadn’t seen this.
But now that they knew they could be mates, they had decisions to make. It wasn’t inevitable that they’d end up together for eternity, and she was grateful for that. She needed time to think so she could wrap her head around the fact that she was not only a wolf in a time of war, but perhaps the mate of not one, but two dominant wolves.
Avery knew she didn’t have much time to make decisions as both Parker and Brandon needed a mating bond quickly, but she was still grateful for what little time she had. This was all going a bit too fast for her, and while she’d been the one to initially suggest what had happened the night before, she still needed time to process it all.
While Parker was in the shower and Brandon in his bedroom on a conference call, Avery sat cross-legged in the living room, trying to center herself.
Okay, what had happened since she’d first had the vision right before she’d seen the attack by her father on the Talons?
She’d come to the Talons with a small plan to try and help their image and have them using their own words for the masses. The Alphas still had not decided on that, and she had a feeling they were shelving it for the time being thanks to everything that had happened since their meeting. Avery wasn’t even sure she’d have the same connections to the media as before thanks to the assault.
A rogue Aspen wolf had attacked her and, apparently, the Aspens weren’t talking to the Talons about it. Avery didn’t know much—or anything really—about wolf politics, but she had a feeling the lack of communication wasn’t a good thing.
Because of the attack, Gideon had brought her into the Talon Pack, and she was now a wolf shifter. She’d had her first run, and Parker had helped her through her first change.
She was Pack now. Wolf. And falling for two men who had brought her to ecstasy countless times the night before.
What she would do with all of that, she didn’t know, but she needed to think quickly. She had a feeling this tension-filled peace within the den would end soon. The ramifications of McMaster’s plan would show their face any moment, and Avery was now the poster child for that plague.
Sweat broke out over her body, and she cursed. So much for trying to remain calm.
“Gideon wants to meet with us,” Brandon said as he strode into the room. He stood right in front of her, a small smile on his face, though his eyes held the same danger she’d seen in them since she first met him.
Avery had scented Brandon before she saw him, and wasn’t that a new and weird thing in her life. She had all these extra-sensitive senses now, and she had no idea what to do with them. If she didn’t have Parker and Brandon showing her the ropes, she knew she’d be even more overwhelmed than she was. As it was, however, she knew she needed to take a step back and think. And she couldn’t do that with the two men hovering over her as they were.
Avery rolled her shoulders as she took Brandon’s outstretched hand and stood up, rubbing her body along his as she did. He let out a small growl, and she couldn’t help the smile that played on her lips even as she blushed.
There was just something about this man—and the other man who’d just walked into the room—that made her want to stretch and lounge about like a cat in cream. Only she was a wolf, and there were far more important things to worry about at the moment.
“Did he say why?” Parker asked before placing a kiss on her lips. He did the same to Brandon, and she let out a soft sigh.
These two men were going kill her with that hotness—but what a way to die.
“There’s someone here to meet with you,” Brandon said, a frown on his face. “He didn’t say who, and was a little mysterious about it. Either way, he wants us all there since I think he wants to check in on Avery’s well-being also.”
“Because I shifted into a wolf last night, right? Not because he knows what happened between the three of us?”
Brandon shrugged. “My brother’s the Alpha. He knows some things before the rest of us do.”
“I thought I was the foreseer,” she said dryly, even as her heart rate sped up.
Brandon dropped a kiss on her lips. “Let’s go, if you’re ready.”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Brandon squeezed her hand before heading to the front door. Parker slid behind her, one hand on the small of her back. It seemed the two were going to walk in this formation as if to protect her no matter what. And considering she wasn’t sure how to fight and didn’t know what would happen, she’d let them do this. For now.
When they made their way to the front gates, Gideon stood there with his large arms crossed over his chest. When she’d been human—still weird to think like that—she hadn’t been able to meet his gaze; now, she truly couldn’t meet this gaze. This man was Alpha. Her Alpha.
And how strange was that?
“Doing okay, Avery?” Gideon asked, his voice deep. He looked between the three of them and raised a brow. No doubt he had an inkling of what had happened the night before. Considering they were all wolves and had enhanced senses, she had a feeling there would be no hiding certain things from anyone anymore.
“I am.”
“Good. If you need anything and Parker and Brandon can’t help you for some reason, you find me or one of the Brentwoods. We’ll help you. I’m sorry you came into the Pack this way, but we’re still grateful you’re one of us.”
She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by a woman’s yell.
“Parker!”
A woman with long, flowing hair and a silk and lace dress ran toward Parker, leaping into his arms before anyone had a chance to wonder what the hell was going on. Parker let out an umph and seemed to automatically hold out his arms to catch the woman. He looked over at Gideon, and his eyes narrowed before he set the pretty young thing down.
Avery paused that line of thinking, annoyed with herself for feeling even the slightest amount of jealousy. She had no real claim on Parker, nor did she know who might lay within his past. Just because they’d had one night together and were potential mates didn’t mean she had the right to be petty about a pretty woman with long legs.
Maybe she was his sister, Isabelle.
Then the woman kissed Parker right on the lips, and Brandon had to put a hand on Avery’s shoulder so she didn’t move forward.
Holy hell. What was wrong with her? She’d never acted like this before. She prided herself on the fact that she could usually hold in her emotions and control them to a certain extent. She’d been forced to do that at a young age because if she felt too much, she could bring on a vision when she wasn’t ready. Maybe this was what the men had meant about her wolf pushing at her emotions. There was this new…being inside her, and she had to learn to live with it, or she’d go insane.
Avery let out a breath, trying to control the wolf inside her. It wasn’t easy since all she wanted to do was use her new claws to slash that too sweet smile off the young maiden’s face. Yeah, okay, that was bitchy, and she needed to get a grip. There was seriously something wrong with her if her jealousy was this high after just one night with the man.
“Tatiana,” Parker said in a soft voice. “What are you doing here?”
“She looks like a Tatiana,” Brie mumbled from Avery’s side, and Avery bit her lip to stop from laughing. She hadn’t even noticed that the other woman had waddled up beside them and, apparently, Brie was of a similar mindset as Avery.
“Hush,” Avery whispered back. “We shouldn’t be catty.”
“And you should probably speak lower since we’re wolves,” Brandon added in an almost inaudible whisper.
Tatiana beamed at him. “I was just so worried after you fell ill in our Pack, that I asked my Alpha if I could come visit to ensure you didn’t need anything. I helped you recover, after all. Your Healer might want to ask me questions. I went to the Redwood den first, but the sentries wouldn’t permit me entrance. Instead, they told me you were here.”
Brandon put a hand on Avery’s shoulder again, and she let out a breath. If she didn’t get a handle on the raging emotions inside her, she wouldn’t be able to breathe. It hurt that this woman from Parker’s past seemed to know more about Parker than she did. Yes, she’d met him only a short time ago, but they’d already done so much together that she couldn’t quite keep her thoughts and feelings in order.
Gideon cleared his throat. “Why don’t the two of you talk since you indeed know her? Her Alpha called right as she arrived, so she’s here with his permission.”
“Of course, I am,” Tatiana said, her accent soft, her head lowered. “I wouldn’t dream of disobeying my Alpha.”
Avery pressed her lips together and didn’t dare look at Brie since she could feel the other woman’s body shaking with leashed laughter.
“I’m going to take Avery to get something to eat and show her around the den,” Brie said finally, cutting into the awkward silence.
Gideon glowered. “You shouldn’t be on your feet at all.”
Brie rolled her eyes, not looking like a submissive wolf in the least. “Okay, your highness, I’ll be good and just walk Avery to our place so I can feed her. She’s my new wolf, too, your Alphaness. I need to ensure that she’s well taken care of.”
Avery leaned into Brandon as Gideon stormed over, a mixture of worry, exasperation, and intense love in his eyes. She would have felt sorry for Brie for dealing with the giant of a man, but the smaller woman just smiled sweetly before going on her tiptoes to kiss his chin.
“I’ll be fine, Gideon. Go talk to Brandon like you wanted to and leave Avery to me.”
Avery’s heart clutched just a fraction at the sight of the big bad Alpha doting on his mate, but she didn’t dare say anything. The man was seriously scary to everyone else, and there was no way she would get in the middle of that. However, going off with Brie sounded like a fine idea since she really didn’t think she could hold her wolf back for much longer when it came to Tatiana.
“Food sounds wonderful to me,” Avery said honestly. She’d eaten already that morning, but she was still a little hungry. The men had told her that her metabolism would change, and that she’d need more food than she was used to, but the hunger mixed with jealousy and uncertainty wasn’t something she liked nor was it something she wanted to think about.
Parker gave her a strange look, and Brandon slid his hand down over her side, squeezing her hip. As always, she couldn’t read either of them. Parker might be the one who spoke more, but she didn’t know what he was trying to tell her then. As for Brandon, he was as closed-off emotionally as ever. Considering he was the Omega of the Pack, she wasn’t sure what to think about that.
“Good,” Brie said quickly, taking Avery’s hand. “Have fun, boys.” And with that, Brie pulled Avery behind her, leaving the others where they stood. For such a pregnant wolf, who apparently needed to be kept off her feet, the woman sure was strong.
When they were out of hearing range, Avery finally let out a small laugh. “You know, I don’t know if that was subtle enough.”
Brie waved her off, a small smile on her face. “Oh, whatever. You, Brandon, and Parker might not be mated yet, but there’s an air about the three of you. That other wolf isn’t going to get in the middle of that. Parker just needs to not be so nice and tell the girl what’s what. But since he is nice, he’ll want privacy to do it, so he doesn’t embarrass her.”
Avery shook her head as Brie led her into the Alpha’s home. “How can you be so sure?”
Brie smiled widely, her eyes bright. “Because I know Parker. He’s been part of my life since I was a baby and has always been there. I was born into the Redwoods, but he didn’t come along until he was eight or so. He and my cousin Charlotte were the older two cousins running the herd. Finn and I came next, then Micah and the rest of them.”
Avery shook her head, taking a seat at the kitchen bar so Brie would do the same. The woman looked ready to pop, and she might say she was doing just fine, but Avery didn’t want to endure the Alpha’s wrath should any harm come to the woman in Avery’s care.
“There sure are a lot of you Redwoods.”
Brie snorted. “Yep, and we keep mating with Talons. That means Gideon and Kade, the Redwood Alpha, are constantly having to deal with one another. It gets a bit growly, but one day, I have a feeling we’ll be one large Pack with two Alphas. There’s just so much crossover it’s hard to keep the lines straight.”
“I’m having a hard time keeping the names straight, let alone the bonds.”
Brie reached out and gripped Avery’s hand, the strength within the woman calming her. Avery didn’t understand it, but her wolf was at peace next to Brie.
“What…”
“I’m a submissive wolf, Avery. My wolf soothes those dominants around me. And though your wolf is still finding her place, I have a feeling you’ll eventually find yourself higher in the dominance scale than you might have thought. Both Parker and Brandon are dominant, as well, so the three of you will be a force.”
Avery pulled away, slightly shaken and not wanting to talk about her wolf. Not yet. “We aren’t mated. There wasn’t even a true pull or whatever you guys call it. Brandon said the bonds are different.”
Brie frowned but nodded. “He spoke to us about it on the phone earlier. I don’t know what that means for our people, but we’ll overcome. We’ve conquered so much.” She let out a breath. “I was born in a time of war, grew up in a time of peace.” She rested her hands over the swell of her belly. “Now, my child will be born in a time of war. But no matter what happens, life continues. Don’t you see? We will survive, even if our ways have to evolve with the world in order to do so. The three of you haven’t bonded yet, and there is no mark between you, but you sense the place where a bond could go.”
Avery swallowed hard. “How do you know that?”
Brie shook her head. “I’m your Alpha female. I might not be the most dominant wolf in the Pack, far from it, but I’m still the Alpha’s mate. I can sense when my wolves are at the precipice, looking down at what could be their future or their failure. You’re not mated to the two of them yet, but you’ve only just begun to know them. Take the time to truly understand what mating could mean, or at least get a sense of it. And when you’re ready, when you’ve bonded, we will figure out the lines and Pack loyalties. We’ve done it in the past, and we will do it again. But for now, take the time you have.”
The only problem, Avery worried, was that she wasn’t sure how much time her men had left.